


AKA Birds of a Feather

by Preelikeswriting



Series: Penny and Dime [4]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Jessica Jones (TV)
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Malcolm is hard to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-26 14:32:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9904550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Preelikeswriting/pseuds/Preelikeswriting
Summary: The universe enjoys pissing Jessica and Frank off and introduces Karen and Malcolm





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MissIzzy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissIzzy/gifts).



> For MissIzzy  
> Still don't own anything

 Malcolm had this habit. One that he wasn't proud of to say the least. whenever he was out by himself, he would find himself making his way towards known heroin dens or the apartments of his old dealers. He tried, he really did, to stay away. Terrified that he might slip up, that in some moment of weakness when all of his, and Jessica’s problems got too much, that he would break. But, some days when he was on his runs with Max in the early mornings and he wasn’t quite awake yet, he would find himself heading down streets he would rather avoid.

There were other things too, little left over things from when he had been working for Killgrave. Physically having to stop himself from grabbing his coat so he could be in the park by 10. His irrational fear of sitting at the bar, always preferring to get a table because all he could do was feel the noose around his neck. Things that he could usually play off as it being to noisy, or that he needed to run to the store and pick up orange juice. Things he was fairly certain had never once fooled Jessica, not that she would say anything. She had her own scars to deal with. So he lied and made excuses, and he kept running.

He was in fact on one of those early morning runs currently. Perhaps a bit earlier then he was use to, having set out at four rather than his usual six but, he hadn’t been able to sleep, and it was better this then enter into the Jessica Jones school for coping with bad days. He hadn’t been able to find the motivation to pull on his running gear, so he had settled with wearing the clothes he had been trying to sleep in, which may or may not have been the clothes he had worn the previous day. So, in the end his run, had ended up more as a walk-that-was-only-fast-because-it-was-freezing-outside then an actual run. Not that he really cared at the moment, or that Max did. She was trotting along happily with him undeterred by his rather dark mood. No, what he did care about was that his feet had carried him out front of one of Hell’s Kitchen’s best-worst-kept-secret drug den.

He froze, taking in the familiar busted windows and doors that were only half locked up. The way the roar of the few cars that came back here dulled, blocked out by the other warehouses littering the area. The den was on the opposite side of the kitchen from his apartment, down by the water making the whole place reek of the Hudson, or more specifically all the crap in the Hudson before it entered the water. He could feel the chill entering his bones from standing still too long, but he wasn’t quite able to move just yet. Able or ready he wasn’t sure.

He was just moving to leave when he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and squinted his eyes trying to make out what it was in the low light of the early morning. Malcolm felt his heart sink a bit as he made the shape out to be a young woman. She walked quickly and with purpose however once she reached the outside of the warehouse she struggled looking lost on how to make her way inside. Malcolm was torn, on one hand he wanted to get as far away as possible from this place, and this girl. But, on the other hand he remembered the frantic desperation that he had felt when his supply from Killgrave had suddenly been cut of. As much as he hated to think it, the girl was probably safer inside then she would be if she were to shoot up in some random alley for anyone to find.

“Hey. Hey!” he called out to her as he jogged over to where she was uselessly pulling on the chain binding up the main door. She froze. probably thinking cops, I know I would be. Malcolm thought to himself.

“I-” Malcolm cut her off.

“Here,” he said gesturing over to the boarded over door further down the wall. “Someone fixed ages ago so it old looks like you can’t get in.” He pulled back the boards and took a step back to give her space.

“How did you know that?” She asked. Turning to face him despite Malcolm’s desire not to meet her eyes, ashamed that he wasn’t in a position to help her. It was all well and good for Jessica to grab him and to proceed to lock him in her bathroom till he detoxed, they at least knew each other. That wasn’t really an option this time.

“Uh, I use to be a regular of sorts here.”

“But not anymore?” Something about her voice seemed off, it was too bright and aware.

“Not for a month or so.”

“Well maybe you can help me with something.” Malcolm's eyes shot up in surprise, and that was all it took to tell Malcolm that whoever this woman was, she was no junkie. Her eyes were clear, her hair perfect, and with the exception of some bags under her eyes that could rival his own, she seemed to radiate the same healthy stability as Trish did.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked warily. _God, I’m as paranoid as Jessica_.

“Oh!” her eyes widened as she brought her hand up to shake. “I’m Karen Page, I work for the Bulletin and I’m writing a story about how the drug trade has changed to fill the power vacuum left by the fall of Wilson Fisk and The Punisher attacks.”

“Oh, I mean I don’t know what I can do to help, but sure!” relief flooding him at both the fact that the woman, Karen, was A) not a junkie he was helping get high, and B) Somewhat of a familiar figure, Trish had been talking about getting her on her show to discuss her view on vigilantes.

The two of them turned their backs the the Heroin den and made their way to where Karen had her car parked, Malcolm introducing himself along the way. Max made herself comfortable in the backseat and laid down to take a nap as Karen drove them to a diner where they could get some food as they talked. Like he had predicted, he wasn't a ton of help in providing new information, having relied almost solely of Killgrave for drugs. but, when faced with what she had already gathered he found he could corroborate most of her sources and point out discrepancies in others. The two worked in tandem practically finishing each other's sentences as they were sucked into Karen's work. Malcolm was secretly proud of himself, Jessica’s detection skills were clearing beginning to wear off on him. They worked steadily until Malcolm felt his phone buzzing in his pocket,

 **4 Missed Calls** _Shit_

“Hello?”

“Fucking Hell Malcolm! Learn to pick up your Goddamn phone.”

“Sorry, I got a little distracted.”

“You've been gone for six hours! That is not a little distracted!” Malcolm's eyes widened to see that it was indeed a little after ten.

“Sorry Jess.”

She sighed. “Whatever, just get back here soon the phone's been ringing all morning.”

“Jess, you know the normal response to that would be to just answer the phone right?”

“Ew and talk to people.”

“I’ll see you soon Jess.” he ended the call exasperation evident in his voice.

“Girlfriend?” Karen asked.

“Nah, boss.”

“Interesting relationship you've got there.” she said teasingly.

“Well, that's kinda what naturally happens after your boss handcuffs you too her toilet.” He waved off Karen's confused look. “A story for another time.”

He stood, sliding from the diner booth. “Here,” he said handing her one of Jessica’s new business cards. “If you ever need anything.” They walked out to Karen’s car together and she let Max out of the back after Malcolm turned down a ride. As they parted ways Malcolm knew, a certain as it was that Jessica was going to break the new glass in the office door in a couple days, that he had yet to see the last of Karen Page.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second half

Karen sat in her car across from the old apartment building fiddling with the business car that Malcolm had given her if she had needed anything. The thing was, it wasn't Malcolm she needed. Malcolm had called Jessica Jones the best PI in Hell’s Kitchen, and she hoped to God she was.

Mrs. Trejo had been one of Nelson’s and Murdock’s customers back before the firms closing. She had needed a lawyer to defend her son, Freddie, after he was busted on assault charges for proximity to his cousin and his gang of friend who had a reputation for being gangster wannabes. The case had been fairly open and shut, as the cops had very little against him and Foggy and Matt had gotten him off easy enough, and that was it. Mrs. Trejo had payed them with a month's supply of apple pie and they hadn’t heard from her since. So Karen had been more than a little surprised when the woman had shown up at her office at the Bulletin to beg her to help her find her son.

Karen had agreed and sent the woman home before coming to the realization that she was hopelessly out of her league. Ellison had come into her office hours later to send her home because she hadn’t left for so much as a coffee break in over an hour and everyone else had gone home. Karen at a loss for what to do had told him about Mrs.Trejo and her missing son. Ellison had just sighed and told her that it wasn’t her job, and that if she really wanted to help she would introduce Mrs.Trejo to a detective. She had left after that, and was halfway home before she remembered about Malcolm’s card.

A quick search on the web had been able to give her directions to the apartment, and the only thing that kept her from rushing over there that very second was the fact that it was the middle of the night. So she expressed self restraint and waited till at least nine the next morning before making her way the PI office. Which brought her to where she sat currently, fiddling with the card building up her courage like she would anytime she was chasing a risky lead. She took a deep breath and left the car moving across the street with determination.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jessica had been halfway through her breakfast of leftover Chinese food with Max happily eating her portion of the food in the dog bed Trish had bought her the moment she had learned Jessica had got a dog, when the knock on the door came. She eyed the appointment book Malcolm had bought for the office and seeing that it was blank, elected to ignore the potential client. The knock came again louder, this time accompanied with a call of “Ms. Jones?”. Jessica kept eating, they would go away eventually.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Malcolm sighed hearing the familiar sound of ignored knocking of Jessica’s door and grabbed his set of keys, his piece of toast pinched between his teeth as he moved towards his front door.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The room was silent with the exception of Max’s eating from over in the corner. Jessica Jones leaned back in her chair feet up on her desk as she gave of an air of unconcern disinterest the likes of which Karen had never been faced with before. Malcolm stood off her left shoulder giving her encouraging smiles as they all stared at one another, Jessica outright refusing to speak first.

Karen was the first to break, but only because she realized that they could be this all day if she didn’t. “I need your help.”

Jones laughed, “Doesn’t take a PI to figure that out sweetheart.” Jessica responded flippantly

Karen eyes narrowed slightly in irritation as she set a picture of Freddie Trejo in front of the PI. “His mother reported him missing two nights ago, the police aren’t doing anything though. He’s turning eighteen in three months, and all evidence points to him having run away so they don’t really see the point in investigating.”

“And?”

“I want to hire you to find him.”

“Why? You his girlfriend or something’? He knock you up and make a run for it?” Malcolm made a distressed noise in the back of his throat at Jessica’s antagonistic line of questioning.

Karen’s eyes widened, in outrage. “How dar-”

Jessica cut her off “Just checking. People are a lot more honest when they lose their temper, I needed to make sure I wasn’t going into anything with any extra baggage that I didn’t know about.” She paused, “I mean it’s not like I wouldn’t go after baby daddy or something, I just don’t like people lying to me about why their hiring me. Last time I let that happen, I got shot.”

Karens eyes widened, but Jessica changed the subject before Karen could even properly formulate a question in response to that. “Tell me about the case. Freddie, family, homelife, you name it I want it. The quicker we get this over with the quicker I can go back to eating my breakfast.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jessica openly glared at Karen as they made their way towards the the apartment where the PI’s information placed Freddie. Yet another person who didn’t understand that Jessica worked alone, and that stay in the car, meant stay in the goddamn car. She had tracked down a couple of her runaway's friends and played the, Look-I-don’t-want-any-part-in-this-either-buddy-but-I-have-to-give-him-something-from-a-friend card. To try and get location of wherever it was that Freddie was crashing. She figured he couldn’t have gone far, and certainly didn’t have a place of his own, seeing as he was jobless, which left friends. It had worked better than expected, and Jessica couldn’t help but roll her eyes when she found out the kid hadn’t even left Hell’s Kitchen.

She strolled down the third floor hallway and pounded on the door of apartment 3C. “Yo Freddie! I’ve got something for you.” she kept pounding on the door until she hear the muffled cries of ”I’m up! I’m up!” before stepping aside and letting the door swing inwards.

“What!” he demanded as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes despite it being nearly two in the afternoon.

“Freddie Trejo?”

“Yea?”

“Come on.” she said a she grabbed the teenager by the arm and dragged him out into the hallway by the arm despite his attempts to dig his heels into the ground. “Your mother wants to see you.”

“What! No! I can’t go back! All I am is a burden to her. I need to move out, don’t you understand?”

“You don’t want to be a burden? Then get a fucking job like the rest of us, don’t just up and leave and make your mother spend money looking for you by hiring a PI.” She growled out in reply without even glancing over at the kid. Jessica looked over at where Karen was looking at her with a judgemental stare. “What? I’m just being honest.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jessica sat in her office with eating her Chinese food fresh from its third round of microwaving as she tried to ignore the two do gooding humanitarians that buzzed around her office/apartment. Trejo’s mother had picked him up an hour ago, and for all Karen’s playing the woman up to be a sweet kindhearted mother who was beginning to get on in her years, the tongue lashing that she gave her son before dragging him out of her office by his ear had made Jessica’s day. The two moved out of the room she sat in and she leaned back in her seat enjoying the silence...

“Jessica? Did you know the lock on this door is broken?”

… And there is goes. The PI smacked her head against her desk with a sigh, It was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! same willingness to take prompts for this series as always.

**Author's Note:**

> Second half should be out within the week. As always, happy to take prompts and if you caught any spelling/grammar errors please let me know.


End file.
